BroadwayWorld: HEREAFTER MUSICAL From CBS Exec to Open Off-Broadway this Fall

AUGUST 13, 2014 – Hereafter Musical, a thought provoking new musical by Vinnie Favale and Frankie Keane about the age old human desire to communicate with our loved ones who have passed, told from the perspectives of both the living and the departed, is slated for an open-ended run, Off-Broadway, at the Snapple Theater Center (1627 Broadway) with previews beginning on Saturday, September 13, 2014. Co-Author’s Favale and Keane draw from their own personal losses in the inspiring look at the beyond, which will have its official opening on Saturday, October 25, 2014 at 4:45PM.

Hereafter Musical follows three women have come together at the home of world renowned psychic Jason Richards, desperate to make contact with their loved ones who have past. Unbeknownst to them, the spirits materialize during the reading and we discover that, like the living, they are also having a great deal of difficulty moving on. Over the course of the session the spirits get revelations and see a side of their family that they haven’t seen before. And as the living share their stories, the spirits struggle with their decision as to whether or not they should make contact…because once they do, they will cross over to the unknown of the Hereafter.

Hereafter Musical started 11 years ago when Favale first read about a local 18-year-old killed as a passenger in a drunk driving accident. “I thought about how my life was turned upsidedown when I lost my own brothers and what this poor kid’s family was going through” he says. The story hit a nerve, so he wrote a song [“Nineteen”] about it. Other songs soon followed – all exploring the afterlife, from the unique perspective of both the living and the dead. Not what you’d expect from the ‘funny man’ who has been a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show and whose daytime job is the Vice President of Late Night for CBS where he oversees “The Late Show With David Letterman”. Hereafter Musical became a reality to Favale 6 years ago when he partnered up with Frankie Keane on the Book and the Music. “Frankie helped me take the show to the next level and her enhancement to the music is the heart and soul of the show.’

The cast of Hereafter Musical features Frankie Keane, Deborah Tranelli – (“Dallas”, co-starring as Phyllis for eleven seasons), Pierce Cravens (Broadway: Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast), Jill Shackner (Broadway; Young Cassette/Eponine in Les Miz), Paul Blankenship, Eileen Faxas (Mamma Mia!), Carolyn Mignini, Courtney Capek, Tanisha Gary, Kissy Simmons (Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King), Margaret Kelly and Alan Kalter (Announcer for the Late Show with David Letterman).

The creative team for for Hereafter Musical features sound design by Scott Stauffer, costume design by Theresa Snider-Stein, and musical direction by William Hindin.

Hereafter Musical ran as a six show, sold out, staged reading at the Roy Arias Theater in 2010. The following year, Favale and team worked on the book and finished recording the soundtrack. That was followed by a series of concerts in the tri-state area including the famed Friars Club in NYC. A record-breaking Kick Starter campaign followed during the summer of 2011 that raised over $70,000 in ticket and merchandise pre-sales for their Off-Broadway debut at Theater 80 where they sold out all sixteen shows in a limited engagement.

Performances of Hereafter Musical are on Saturdays at 4:45PM.

Tickets to Hereafter Musical can be purchased online by going to www.hereaftermusical.com or calling the box office at 212-921-7862